


The Prince's Angels

by latias_likes_pizza



Series: our fates twist like a river [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, adviser!Aranea, also i dont know how to tag save me, also there are painful ideas discussed there, because that is what inspired this, best friend!Luna, fateswap!AU, just go to chocobaes on tumblr, look at their fateswap art, oracle!Prompto, shield!Iris, weep in their glory, which may go into overall series, who knows - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 00:58:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9048940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/latias_likes_pizza/pseuds/latias_likes_pizza
Summary: (Based off the fateswap!AU at chocobaes.tumblr.com)
Prince Noctis has three good friends: Luna, Iris, and Aranea. Here's how he grew close to all three and how they unofficially joined what is known as the Prince's Angels.





	1. Luna

**Author's Note:**

> Huh. I got off my butt and actually used my AO3 account.
> 
> Welp. Hey chocobaes! Both of you, but specifically Fran (just kidding, both of you). And everyone else I guess. This is based off the fateswap!AU that they've been doing on their tumblr. Go check it out, it's great.
> 
> This is essentially the Brotherhood of that AU, just renamed because Noctis suddenly found himself surrounded by girls. Not that that's a bad thing.
> 
> So yeah. Enjoy.

** Luna **

Lunafreya Fleuret was a sweet girl whom got along well with the other children at school. On the other hand, she wouldn’t exactly call any of them friends. She would smile and compliment and play along with games when asked but there was never really an emotional connection. They were just friendly people. Not much more to it.

Every day, Ravus would walk her to school before setting off for Kingsglaive HQ. Luna would go to her classroom, sit at her desk, and admire her small collection of Insomnia souvenirs that she kept with her at all times. A few people would say ‘hello’ and ‘how are you’ then move on. School would start, Luna would get through it, she’d walk home. She always got home before her brother. If Ravus sent a text saying that he’d be busy with Glaive stuff, Luna would walk to the store, buy a cheap ready-meal, and eat alone.

Same routine(s), only variation being the location of Ravus.

One day, she got into school and was greeted by an excited buzzing. By excited buzzing, I mean ten-year-old children gossiping. Luna sat down and started having a look at a new snow globe she’d gotten. As she admired it, loud talking from the corridor got her attention. She placed the globe back into her bag and went to see what was going on. A large group were standing in the corridor, crowding around a new student.

“How many servants do you have?”

“Do you have balls?”

“Are there hundreds of rooms in the palace?”

The group split apart as the student they were interrogating began to walk off. Somebody asked him where he was going and he just told them the bathroom. Luna tried not stare as the Crown Prince walked directly past her. She’d had no idea that Prince Noctis was going to be coming to her school. The bell rang and Luna darted back into the classroom. The teacher walked in. She told them that they had a new student joining them. Prince Noctis walked in and stood at the front.

“Hello. My name is Noctis. Please take care of me,” he said, looking slightly bored.

As the class began to whisper, he went to the free seat in front of Luna. She tried her best not to stare at him, she really did.

* * *

 

It was difficult to not think about the prince as Luna walked home. His arrival at her school was something new, something surprising. Nobody had been told (but Ravus had gone into the school the other week and it hadn’t been for a meeting with her teachers. Maybe he’d been going to check it was safe?) Nobody quite knew how to react to being in the presence of royalty.

Luna was pulled out of her thoughts by a pained whimper. She turned her head, trying to find where it came from. It didn’t exactly sound human. She heard it again, coming from a bush near the side of the road. Luna ran towards the bush. She knelt down, getting closer to where it was coming from.

A small black dog, curled under the bush. Luna reached to it.

“Hello, little friend,” she said. It raised its head towards her hand. “Are you okay? You hurt?” It was hurt. Luna could see blood on its leg. “Aw. Is your owner nearby? No? You don’t exactly have a collar. Hey, that leg looks bad. Wanna come with me and sort it out?”

She reached under, the branches of the bush catching slightly on her wristband. The dog didn’t recoil, just whined. Slowly, Luna managed to pull it out from under the bush. As she slowly lifted it her arms, she noticed that it was a boy. When the dog whined, Luna smiled gently at him. Holding him tightly, she ran the rest of the way to her house. Thank the Six that the dog wasn’t too large. She was able to hold him in one arm as she unlocked the door.

“I’m home!” Luna called.

Nobody replied. There was a note on the wall. _Busy with work. Staying overnight. Pizza in the freezer. Ravus._

Luna sighed. Kicking her shoes off, she went into the house and went straight for the bathroom. Gently setting the dog down, Luna went to get some of the spare towels from the cupboard. She piled them up and moved the dog onto it. The dog barked slightly and Luna laughed. She pulled the ribbon out from her hair and tied it around the dog’s cut. He whined again.

“I need to stop calling you ‘the dog’,” Luna said. “Hmm… well… you’re black… Coal? Glaive? They wear all black. Oh! Midnight!” Midnight barked happily. “Midnight it is. Wait here. I’ll go and get you some food.”

The immediate problem of what could she feed Midnight crossed Luna’s mind. Ravus never bought any dog food. They didn’t have a dog. Luna quickly booted up their computer and searched for what dogs could eat. Then she checked the fridge. They had some cold cooked chicken and some tomato sauce that she could give Midnight. Luna stood on tip-toe and reached up to get the ingredients. She grabbed a bowl and mixed the two together.

With her hastily made ‘dog food’, Luna ran back into the bathroom and placed it in front of Midnight, telling him to eat up. He gave it a tentative sniff. Then he began to eat, much to Luna’s relief. She sat down on the ground next to him and watched as he ate.

“I’ve always wanted a dog,” she said. “But Ravus said that he’s out too much so he can’t help me care for one. Maybe he won’t mind if I look after you while we wait for your real owners. Or if you don’t have one, maybe he’ll let me adopt you? I hope so. I get lonely sometimes. Ravus is too busy with the Glaive.”

Midnight barked in response. Luna laughed before leaving the bathroom again. Midnight followed her out. She prepared her own food, defrosting and cooking the pizza. As she sat down and ate her half (Ravus could have the rest when he got home), Midnight curled up at her feet. Luna laughed and put the TV on. There was an interview with the king.

_“Your son has been placed in mainstream schooling now, correct?”_

_“Noctis has, yes. I hope he will enjoy it and experience what life is like for any other child in Lucis.”_

Luna didn’t think the prince was experiencing life as other Lucian children did. Most children didn’t get gawked at while they were at school. Life wasn’t very normal for the prince. She felt slightly sorry for him.

After a few hours of watching films and doing some of her homework, it was time for bed. Luna wrote out a note for Ravus, in case he got home a little earlier. Once she’d had a wash and gotten into her nightdress and brushed her teeth and done everything she needed to do, she grabbed an empty cardboard box and put some towels in. With Midnight following her, she took it upstairs to her room. As she set her alarm for the next day, Midnight climbed into the box.

“Goodnight Midnight!” Luna said, giggling.

“Bark!”

Giggling some more, Luna reached up for the light switch.

* * *

 

A phone call came the next morning. Luna had been half-asleep and unable to pick up the phone in time. A message sounded and Luna listened to it. It was Ravus, apologising for not being home and telling her that he was being sent out on an emergency mission, escorting some stranded nobles to Insomnia. He wouldn’t be home for a few days. Crowe would be over to drop off some extra cash for Luna to buy food with.

Setting some food out for Midnight, Luna went off to school. Prince Noctis was there again and everyone was gawking at him and trying to get him to answer their questions. He just brushed most of them off. Luna felt sorry for him again. At least the teachers seemed to treat him like any other kid.

School went on. It finished. Luna rushed home. Midnight barked happily upon seeing her again. His limp seemed to be getting better. Luna actually had some proper dog food for him and she did her best to give him a wash. It ended up with the entire bathroom soaking and Luna being really grateful that Ravus was busy with work.

That evening, Luna made a makeshift collar out of some hair ribbons. She tied it loosely around Midnight and added a little tag on it. The tag said that she was looking for his real owner but if he wondered off and wasn’t found by them they should send him back to her house. She added her address on the one side. Midnight didn’t protest over his new collar.

The next day, the routine repeated, minus the making of the collar. Ravus still wasn’t back yet. Crowe had come over with the extra food money for Luna. She had been pretty surprised to see Luna looking after Midnight. She took a couple of photos and promised Luna that she’d post them around and see if they could find Midnight’s owner.

But the day after that, the routine broke. Still no Ravus, but Midnight was gone. Luna called Crowe and together they searched for Midnight. They asked around and nobody had seen him. Luna went home that evening, thoroughly upset. She could barely sleep, she was so worried about Midnight.

* * *

 

“Luna, could you get the post?” Ravus asked, hastily chewing on his toast.

“Okay!” Luna said.

It had been a week since Midnight disappeared and three days since Ravus got back from his mission, covered in a couple more cuts and bruises than normal. He’d been shocked to hear about Luna’s venture into dog rearing and had scoured the house, making sure there was no more fur anywhere.

Luna went to the letter box and pulled out what was inside. What appeared to be a few bills, some magazine that Ravus was subscribed to, an official looking letter addressed to the inhabitants of the house that was marked with a Crownsguard Sigil, and a letter for her. Luna went back inside, handed the rest of the post to Ravus, and stared at her letter.

As Ravus read his magazine, Luna read her letter.

_Dear Lunafreya,_

_Thank you for finding and caring for Umbra. He’s my precious friend and I was really worried about him. He seems okay and I think your collar was cute. I’ve kept it. Is that okay? Umbra liked it. His sister, Pryna, whined until she got one. I thought it was kinda cute and kinda funny. Wish I could make pretty things like that._

_My name’s Prompto and I live in Tenebrae. Umbra’s a special dog who can take messages to Lucis for me. He must have gotten hurt coming home. Nyx (my cousin) says I should stop sending messages but I don’t really want to stop. I have a special friend in Insomnia who I like writing to._

_Do you know Prince Noctis? I think you’re the same age as we are, based on what you wrote on the tag. He’s my friend. I heard he’s started school now. I’m home-schooled. I don’t know what being in a school is like. If you’re in the same school as Noctis, are you friends? I think he gets lonely sometimes. I miss him and he misses me and neither of us know people our age. I guess I’m asking you to be his friend? You were nice to Umbra, I’m sure you’ll be nice to him!_

_I’ve added a photo of me and Umbra and Pryna. You can see my guide/he’s-kinda-like-my-dad in the background. His name’s Cor. Nyx didn’t want to be in the photo. I think he was busy._

_I hope you’re well,_  
From,  
Prompto Argentum

_PS: I forgot to add that our maid Maria made the collar for Pryna. She thinks yours is better than hers (but we haven’t told Pryna or she’ll get jealous)_

“Who’s that letter from?” Ravus asked, pulling on his Kingsglaive jacket.

“Midnight’s real owner. He went home,” Luna replied. “His real name was Umbra. His owner was thanking me for looking after him.”

“I hope he doesn’t personally come over. You shouldn’t give our address to strangers,” Ravus said. “Come on. Let’s get you to school.”

Ravus walked her to school as usual. Luna had brought the letter with her, tucked away with her souvenirs. Prince Noctis sat in front of her again and Luna wondered whether Prompto would talk about her in his next letter to the prince. She wondered how they’d met and why the name Prompto Argentum seemed so familiar. And the one thing Luna wondered about more than anything was: _could she be a good friend to Noctis?_ Prompto certainly hoped so.

Noctis looked like he needed a friend.

After school, Luna could see him waiting at the side. Most of the other kids had gone home. She’d hung around to ask a teacher for a book. Luna reached into her bag and felt for the letter. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the prince.

“Hello. Are you waiting for someone?” she asked.

Prince Noctis turned and stared at her. “Yeah. My driver. Are you waiting for somebody?”

“No. I just needed to get something from a teacher. If you want, I can wait with so you don’t get lonely,” Luna said.

“Err… sure,” Noctis replied. “You sit behind me, right?”

“That’s right!” Luna said cheerily. “What did you think of science earlier? I think the baking soda volcano thing was really cool. I’m gonna show my big brother when I get home.”

“Yah, it was cool! It erupted like a real volcano!”

“I’m Lunafreya, by the way. You can just call me Luna. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

A fancy car pulled up and beeped its horn. Noctis went towards it, but turned just before he opened the door. Luna smiled and waved at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Noctis!”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow, Luna,” Noctis said, waving back.

Luna kept waving as Noctis got into the car. She only stopped when it went around the corner and she couldn’t see it any more. Luna smiled to herself as she set off for home. Hopefully, she’d made a friend.

* * *

 

_Five years later_

Noctis walked into the grounds of his new high school. A number of people were stopping and staring at him, not quite believing that the Crown Prince was among them. It was the same treatment he’d gotten when in elementary and junior high. Noctis internally sighed. Some things would never change.

As he walked along, somebody suddenly linked their arm with his. He looked to his left to see his best friend, Luna. She smiled at him as they walked. Noctis rolled his eyes slightly.

“After school, should we go souvenir shopping?” Luna asked. “Commemorate starting high school. And we could take a photo to send to Prompto.”

“Sounds good to me,” Noctis said. People were staring at them a lot more openly. Luna didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. “Any souvenir in mind?”

“There’s a new gift store that’s opened just outside the citadel. We can head there after school,” Luna replied. “Shall we head to class?”

“If you want.”

The two of them kept talking and laughing together as they made their way to their new classroom. If you had taken the photo album out of Noctis’ bag and turned back to the pages from five years ago, you would have seen a photo of two ten-year-olds standing outside a school. Luna and Noctis, holding hands with wrists encircled by friendship bracelets made of ribbons. Best friends.


	2. Iris

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iris Amicitia: Poster child for 'Small Girl, Big Sword' and surrogate big sister for Noct.

** Iris **

“Keep it up! Don’t start slacking now!”

Iris kept up her defence as the Prince tried to land a solid hit on her. The frustration was becoming evident on Noct’s face. Slowly, his attacks began to lose their control and become the angry strikes of somebody who was getting really pissed off. Still, Iris remained calm and deflected them with her own wooden blade. She waited and watched Noct. And there! An opening. A sudden, unexpected jab to the stomach caught him and he stumbled. Iris struck his chest, knocking him to the ground.

“I know it’s frustrating,” Iris said, offering her arm. Noct grabbed it and she pulled him up. “You’ll get there. I’ve just had more practice.”

“You could go a little easier on me,” Noct grumbled.

“And what good would that do? You don’t get better when there’s no challenge,” Iris replied. “Dad used to go really hard on me. So would Marshal Gentiana. And guess what. I got just as frustrated as you’re getting. I just had to keep working at it until I got better.”

“You still can’t beat them,” Noct pointed out.

“Hey!” Iris exclaimed, lightly punching his shoulder. “I can hold my own against them for a while at least. And land a few decent hits. I’m still training too. We’ll both get there one day. One day, Noct, you’ll be able to do almost anything.”

Noct shrugged at her. “I guess. I’m gonna see how Luna’s doing with her guns.”

The pair both took off their padding and Iris took the practice swords over to the rack as Noct left. She let out a huge sigh of relief and sank to the ground. Training the prince was tough, especially since she didn’t feel like she was done with her own training. Noct was trying but he tended to get too frustrated. Iris understood it, she really did, but it was now frustrating her.

In that moment, she realised how her dad must feel when training her.

At the very least, Iris wasn’t training Noct in magic. That went to people who actually had magic. Last she heard, Libertus Ostium of the Kingsglaive had the honour of teach him the basics. Perhaps Iris ought to meet up with him and discuss (read: unfairly complain) about teaching the prince.

* * *

 

“And how was training today?” Clarus asked his daughter.

“Noct’s getting… frustrated,” Iris replied, passing Gladio the sauce he’d been reaching for. “I think it doesn’t help that somebody who’s only three years older than him is training him.”

“He’ll learn patience. I recall you getting frustrated while I trained you initially,” Clarus said.

“Yeah. Already said that to Noct. Hey, Dad? Did King Regis get frustrated while you trained him?” Iris asked.

“Oh. All the time. Regis was determined to get it right and he expected talent to come to him almost immediately. It took a month or two for him to realise that there was no fast lane into skill. Everyone gets frustrated. Even Gentiana when she was training. It was one of the four or so times I’ve ever seen her lose her cool. And don’t get me started on Count Highwind. That was embarrassing.”

“I wouldn’t get frustrated. You could let me go and train,” Gladio said.

“You get frustrated at video games. You almost threw a shoe at the TV,” Iris deadpanned.

“Ninjabread Man is evil! The game was broken!” Gladio argued.

“You get frustrated when you can’t reach shelves. Grow three years and have a growth spurt. Then maybe I’ll train you,” Iris said.

Gladio grumbled and pouted. Iris had to hold back her laughter. Nine year olds could pull off a mean pout. A sideways glance at their dad told Iris that he was also struggling to hide his laughter. Gladio pouted some more and stuck his fork into his steak with more force than he needed. He’d been begging to start proper training with either his sister or father. They both wanted him to grow a little more.

In place of training, Gladio watched his sister’s training and tried to copy the basic forms with his own practice sword or shield. He was determined to follow in the Amicitia tradition of wielding greatswords and shields. He also wanted to learn how to beat the crap out of people with his own two hands, something Iris had insisted on learning at a martial arts club in the city.

“Maybe Iris could train me along with Noct? He said I could train with him one day,” Gladio said.

“One pre-pubescent boy is enough to train, thank you very much,” Iris replied.

“How about Gladiolus goes with you to watch? Provided he doesn’t distract the prince from his training,” Clarus suggested.

“Fine. But if you become a nuisance, I reserve the right as older sister and trainer to the prince to kick your butt out. Got it?” Iris said.

“Got it!” Gladio replied. He went back to his food for a few moments. Then he looked up and frowned. “Hey, Iris? What does pre-pubescent mean?”

“Oh Six. Dad! This one’s yours!”

* * *

 

_Messages between Noct and Luna_

Luna: I’m sure you’ll get there

Noct: Its just hard. Iris is better than me.

Luna: She’s older.

Noct: Uncle Clarus is older than Gentiana and she can beat him in 20 secs

Luna: Yeah but the Marshal is scary good. Even Drautos is scared of her. And he has magic.

Noct: How do u know that?

Luna: Ravus took me to the Kingsglaive solstice party.

Noct: What happened

Luna: Pelna tried to outdrink Luché but failed so Luché challenged Libertus but they both got drunk and started a brawl and Ravus got involved. Drautos felt like his honour as captain was at stake so he tried to outdrink everyone but couldn’t and so Tredd started a game of Truth or Dare.

Noct: Six that sounds weird.

Luna: Drautos was drunk and only picking truth so Crowe (who outdrank everyone) asked him who he was afraid of. He said Marshal Gentiana.

Noct: What else happened

Luna: Ravus is still hungover, Libertus lost his keys during poker and is sleeping in our kitchen, Crowe was the only sober person other than me. Sonitus is in trouble for getting naked and jumping into the fountain in the Citadel.

Noct: So that’s what that was.

Luna: From now on, all alcohol at Glaive parties has to be checked by Drautos AND the Marshal before it’s allowed in. Tredd is banned from ever starting Truth or Dare, even when everyone is sober. Poker is also banned at the parties. Libertus is never allowed to get drunk to the point of stripping. Drinking competitions are now banned. Forever. Even in private. Drautos says he will know. Oh. And Ravus is no longer allowed to bring me along to solstice parties because those are the ones where they get drunk. He’s in trouble for bringing me along.

Noct: oh my six. Wonder if the crownsguard get that drunk

Luna: With Marshal Gentiana in charge? Not at official parties. Now tell me more about training with Iris.

Noct: Do I have tooooo?

Luna: Yes.

* * *

 

Iris had to go and ask a member of the palace staff something, so she left Gladio in a side room. He’d been extremely excited at the prospect of getting to watch his sister train the prince. Iris had to tell him not to tease Noct if he didn’t do so well against Iris. Gladio had promised her but Iris was pretty sure she’d seen crossed fingers.

At least she had the threat of stopping him watching.

Once Iris had asked about setting up somewhere for her and Gladio to eat later (Dad would be home late – council meeting), Iris went to Noct’s quarters to fetch him for training. When she arrived, his aides mentioned that he’d gone off somewhere with Lunafreya. Iris groaned and almost slammed her head into a wall. Sighing, she made her way back to the room she’d had Gladio wait in.

“We need to go f-”

Gladio wasn’t in the room anymore. Iris ran out and looked around wildly. No sign of him.

“Lady Iris? Are you alright?” a staff member asked.

“Have you seen Gladio? Where did he go?” Iris asked.

“No, my lady. I-”

“Shit. GLADIO! GLADIOLUS, WHERE ARE YOU?”

The next few minutes were a blur as Iris ran around, trying to find her little brother. She ran into room after room, desperately trying to find him. Palace staff joined her, trying to help her find him quicker. Inside her head, Iris cursed herself for leaving him alone. He was still getting used to the palace. She should have let him come with her. Sure, it would have been boring but he wouldn’t have wondered off and gotten lost.

As Iris ran, she came close to the eastern balconies. While checking rooms nearby, she heard somebody call her name. Iris ran towards them. It was Noct, standing near the balcony with Luna. They were both looking panicked at something. Noct noticed her running towards him.

“He must have been trying to get to the balcony over there,” he said, pointing to another balcony on the other side. “But the doors are broken on that side. They were left open because they lock on their own. It’s all off limits because they’re trying to fix the balconies there. He didn’t know.”

“IRIS! I CAN’T GET INSIDE!” Gladio yelled, trapped on the balcony Noct was pointing at.

“GLADIO! WAIT THERE! I’LL SEND SOMEBODY! JUST WAIT FOR ME!” Iris shouted back.

Gladio looked like he was going to cry. “HURRY IRIS!”

“I thought those balconies were dangerous,” Luna whispered to Noct.

“They’re what?! Oh Six, shit!” Iris exclaimed. “Luna, go get somebody to go over there.”

As Luna ran inside to find a staff member, Iris tried to get a good look at how her brother was coping. He was stood one of the closer balconies and you could probably throw something across the gap. You wouldn’t be able to jump it, however. If you could, Iris would be doing that right now. Beside her, Noct seemed to be measuring the gap. He grabbed the practice sword he had with him.

“Iris, I can do this, right?” he asked.

“Do what? Noct, what are you talking about?”

“You said one day I could do almost anything. Well, I’m a Lucis Caelum, right? So I can use magic.”

“Noctis, whatever stupid thing you’re planning, don’t you dare do it you-”

Iris found her argument cut off by Noct throwing his practice sword across the gap. He took a deep breath and before his sword landed on the ground he warped over to the other balcony. Iris screamed slightly in surprise. She watched as Noct tried to stop himself from puking and moved over to Gladio. He grabbed the sword and beat it down hard on the glass doors.

If Iris hadn’t been so shocked, she would have noticed that Noct was doing all the things that she’d taught him to do to maximise the strength behind an attack. Several strong, concentrated strikes on a single area had the glass shatter. Noct stepped over the broken glass then held out his hand and helped Gladio over.

It took a few moments, but Iris snapped out of her shocked state and ran back into the building. With her heart pounding, she ran as fast as she could. After some more running, she finally crossed paths with Noct and Gladio. Luna and several staff members were there as well. Iris ran over and wrapped her little brother into a hug. She met eyes with Noct and mouthed a ‘thank you’. He grinned back at her.

The satisfaction on his face seemed emphasised by his nosebleed.

* * *

A couple of days after the balcony incident, Iris and Noct were training together. Iris blocked a strike that was going for her head and tried to mirror it. Noct just about managed to block it. Iris tried a few more strikes, going on the offensive. It was visibly difficult, but Noct was managing to block her attacks. Then all of a sudden, he lunged forwards.

His sword caught Iris in the chest. She stumbled from the impact and Noct managed to hit her again. This time he caught her arm. Iris grinned and managed to deflect a blow heading towards her legs. They continued their practice until, as with most sessions, Noct ended up on the ground. Instead of groaning and frowning, Noct was grinning as Iris helped him up.

“I hit you. Twice,” he said.

“You did. Nice work,” Iris said. She walked over to a cooler and pulled out two bottles of water. She tossed one to Noct. “You’re getting more inventive. That’s good.”

Noct started drinking immediately. “I’ve been warping in practice with Libertus. He’s impressed. Couldn’t do it before.”

“Good for you,” Iris replied. “Just keep practicing. It’s a clichéd thing to say, but there’s a reason everyone says it.”

“Luna says she’s proud of me. Dad says he’s proud too.”

Iris stared a little at this young prince. One day he would become King and in the tradition of the Amicitias, Iris would become his shield, as her father was his father’s shield. But right now she wasn’t looking at the Crown Prince. She was looking at a boy who tried his hardest and got frustrated when things didn’t go how he wanted them to. She saw a boy who struggled making friends but somehow was best friends with one of the kindest people on the planet. She saw a boy who played video games with her little brother because age gaps stink sometimes and he knew what it was like to be lonely.

Iris saw her friend.

“I’m proud of you. Now come on. Let’s take a photo for the album. Gotta let Lord Prompto know that your training’s finally paying off.”

Noct looked at her, and he also saw a friend.


	3. Aranea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aranea Highwind: I'm not a regular advisor, I'm a cool advisor.

** Aranea **

Countess Aranea Highwind had lived in the Cleigne region until her estate near Old Lestallum was attacked in an Imperial raid and she and her Uncle Ricard had ran to Insomnia. She took no shit from anybody and was near unstoppable when you gave her a pole arm. She could also beat you up whilst wearing heels. Any kind of heels.

The heels thing was what made Noctis slightly afraid of her.

Aranea had been assigned as his political advisor for the past year or so. At the moment, she’d sit in on council meetings and report back to Noctis in his apartment when he got back from school. Noctis had been reluctant to engage and not at all bothered at first. This changed when Aranea held him against the wall with one foot while wearing stilettos.

“Listen, pretty boy,” she’d said, dropping any and all formality. “You’re going to be King. You don’t get a choice. I don’t get a choice in being Countess Highwind and when the goddamn King asks you to be his son’s political advisor, you don’t refuse him. I’m going to tell you what happened at the council meeting, you will listen. You will engage with me. We will discuss what is happening. You will learn your way around Lucian politics. You have no other options. Am I clear?”

A terrified Noctis only nodded. Aranea had released him and sat back down at the table, notes in front of her. She gestured for Noctis to sit opposite her and she calmly began to go over what had happened in the meeting.

Ever since, Noctis had been slightly terrified of Aranea.

Luna had met her once when coming to visit Noctis (Ravus had kicked her out the house until his fellow Glaives left – they’d brought alcohol). Aranea had been courteous but hadn’t dropped the usual slightly cutting comments. Luna hadn’t really minded. Her sort-of sister was Crowe Altius. Although, she did mention to Noctis later that the pair should never be allowed to meet. Ever.

Over the year, Noctis had gotten used to Aranea and her cutting nature. She was a brilliant advisor and Noctis found himself finally understanding politics under her guidance. She’d also come along to a few training sessions. Iris had certainly been impressed by her skills. That was when Noctis first saw her skill with polearms (and heel-combat). His fear had slightly increased. It increased more when she’d kicked him to the curb.

Four months of strenuous training made the rematch a tie.

With all the things that Noctis knew about Aranea, he hadn’t been expecting her to turn up at his apartment at 9pm wearing a hoodie. She grinned at him as he opened the door. Before Noctis could invite her in, she pushed past him and leant against some shelves.

“Is that leftover food?” she asked, pointing at a bowl on the table.

“Curry. Made too much,” Noctis replied.

“Good thing that Souvenirs and Shredded taught you basic cooking. You’d be surviving on cup noodles without them,” Aranea said, smirking. “Pretty Boy, I have been assigned as your advisor and that extends beyond political matters.”

“Nothing good happens when you start with Pretty Boy,” Noctis moaned. “Last time it was you and Iris taking me on in a 2 v 1. I still have bruises.”

“Stop whining. It’s annoying. Anyway, Pretty Boy. You and I are going out,” Aranea announced.

“Out where?” Noctis asked.

“Anywhere. Not any of the huge clubs because I have seen your alcohol tolerance and I am genuinely ashamed of you and do not trust you to stay sober. No. We’ll just go and eat too much junk food in too many places, dance at somewhere that doesn’t serve alcohol, possibly take part in tournaments in arcades. Who knows?”

“Why?”

“Because beyond here, school, the palace, that one single arcade, the Amicitia house, and Luna’s place, you never go anywhere. As your advisor, I advise you to broaden your horizons.”

“Crown Prince. Need a guard.”

“Are you stupid or blind? You have me. Besides, I also advise that you partake in teenage rebellion for the sake of making you a well-rounded individual.”

This was how Noctis found himself playing several rounds of arcade kart games against a man who was probably in his forties while Aranea ran a betting pool in the background. As previously mentioned, his advisor scared him. Still, the night crowd at the arcade were very competitive and it was actually very fun. As Noctis won a seventh round against the same man, half the crowd cheered while the rest groaned. Aranea very quickly organised which money was going where.

Once everyone was satisfied (or dissatisfied, as the case may be), Aranea dragged him out the arcade, telling him that they were going to go to this burger joint that she frequented. After checking that his hoodie wasn’t going to fall down and his hair was still styled in a way that made him near unrecognisable, she pushed and pulled him along a larger number of streets.

“Do you even know where we are?” Noctis asked her.

“Of course I know. This girl can navigate these streets drunk. Has navigated these streets drunk,” Aranea replied.

“Oh if the council knew,” Noctis said dryly.

“My uncle has a miracle cure for hangovers. Makes me wonder what he did in his long-gone youthful days. Turn left.”

“Alleyways? Seriously? Had to make this seem like something out of a movie?”

“Shut up and walk. I want my burger before midnight.”

Aranea practically pushed him down the alleyway. Noctis spared a glance upwards. The Wall was shimmering in the night, distorting the moon. It occurred to Noctis that in some places outside the Wall, walking around at night would mean a death by daemons. He wondered if Aranea had ever had the same morbid thought.

“Where the two of you going?”

Cursing under her breath, Aranea stopped pushing Noctis along the alley. They turned to see five fairly large men approaching the pair of them. Aranea slowly moved so that she was stood in front of Noctis. He could see her flexing a hand behind her back, ready to summon a weapon forth. The men drew closer.

“This is our terf,” the man leading them said (and Six, this was just like a bad movie scene). “I don’t remember saying a couple of kids like you could come here.”

“I don’t remember a fatass like you ever having any control over what we do but here you are, assuming you do,” Aranea shot back.

The man growled slightly. “Back off, bitch. Now, you two have two options. Get the hell away from here, leaving that pretty bag and whatever’s inside. Or my boys and I can _escort_ you. Either out of here or to hell. Depends on how well-behaved you are.”

“I pick option three. You leave us alone, I keep my bag, none of you have any broken bones,” Aranea said.

“You just picked option two. Get em.”

As the men advanced towards them, Aranea summoned her javelin and spun it in front of her. The blunt end caught one guy in the face. Noctis also summoned his engine blade, waiting for an opening or a sign that Aranea needed him to do something. The men all hesitated before advancing towards her again. Several were carrying knives. Aranea dodged several swipes made at her and deflected others with the pointy end.

“Hey! Legs and heads. I kick up top, you below,” she yelled at Noctis.

It took him a second but he got what she was trying say. Noctis ran to her and dropped into a crouch. He felt Aranea place a hand on his upper back. With a grunt of effort, she swung her legs up above Noctis’ head, still holding on with one hand to the pole. As the men tried to attack her again, Aranea spun around the javelin and kicked them all in the face. _With kitten heels_.

Noctis was very sure that she was focussing the strength of her blows into her heels. The cries of pain made it seem so. Remembering Aranea’s instructions for him, Noctis swept his leg across, knocking most of the men to the ground. The ones that didn’t fall he struck with the flat side of his sword.

“Come on! Let’s go!” Aranea yelled.

The pair ran towards the end of the alley together. Both of them couldn’t help but grin. They kept running and grinning until they had almost reached the end. That was when Aranea’s grin slipped off her face and she cried out in pain. A knife had landed in her left arm. Just the tip. It fell out as Aranea moved her arm. Noctis turned his head to see the men slowly getting up. Most had bleeding noses.

Noctis quickly pulled Aranea to him and out of the alley. They ran together until they had reached a slightly busier street outside the arcade they’d gone to earlier. Noctis pulled Aranea over to a bench. Doing his best not to hurt her, he pulled her arm out towards her.

“Could have been worse,” she said. “I’ve had shrapnel from when my old home got blown up getting stuck in me. I’ll be fine. Sorry for ruining our fantastic night of freedom.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s theirs. Got anything I can bandage this with?” Noctis replied.

“Just use my scarf.” Nodding, Noctis removed her scarf from her and slowly began to wrap it around the wound. “We can sort it out with something else at the apartment. I’ll get it stitched tomorrow.”

“Sounds good. Just don’t make it worse. I don’t want to see you hurt,” Noctis said.

“Getting sappy, Pretty Boy?” Aranea asked, laughing slightly. “Thanks for caring, I guess.”

“Course I care. You’re my advisor. You terrify me but you’re fun to be around. You’re a friend,” Noctis replied.

Aranea looked upwards, mulling it over. “Yeah. Friends. That sums it up. Could have worse friends. Could have a worse prince to advise. Yeah. You’re alright.”

“Good to know. Thanks for having my back in the alley.”

“Thanks for having mine. I’ll always have yours. Not just because you’re my prince. You’re my friend.”

“Thanks, Aranea. Back to the apartment?”

“Oh hell yeah. You better give me the strongest, shittiest coffee your high-school student ass owns tomorrow morning.”

Noctis knew better to protest her staying over. A photo went in the album the next time Pryna brought it. It was him and Aranea, still wearing their hoodies, drinking shitty coffee. Noctis wrote a message telling Prompto about what happened and that he’d decided that as terrifying as Aranea was, she was still his friend. He also told him about what they’d done, the knife bit omitted.

At the very least, Prompto would get a laugh out of teenage rebellion.

**Author's Note:**

> Kingsglaive to follow. Eventually. Maybe. Probably. I have the equivalent of the first half-hour written. Have a good time!


End file.
